There’s a strong stench coming from Thailand. It stemmed from the fast-growing controversy concerning how the sign language interpreters in that country identify prominent politicians. Samak Sundaravej, the first elected prime minister since a September coup two years ago, has been crowned “Mr. Rose Apple Nose” because of a strong resemblance to the fruit. Accordingly, the sign language interpreters are holding their noses. Literally.
That particular sign generally indicate that something/someone stinks. And that perception is angering the members and supporters of Samak’s party, who feel such a sign is not quite becoming of a national leader. They even went as far as to petition the National Association of the Deaf in Thailand to remove the offending sign. An interpreter, Kanittha Rattanasin, noted that the gesture of holding the nose between two fingers in reference to Samak has been used for a long time now but now gaining national attention because of a live telecast of Monday’s parliamentary session. “…people noticed this time because we had to repeat the movement over 300 times,” she explained.
It’s common practice for Thai sign language interpreters to indicate facial features as symbols for people of high rank, and they are not the only ones. In America, the sign for William J. Clinton was the letter C handshape while signing LIE/LIAR. A Democrat wasn’t the only one with that particular honor. Substitute the C handshape for the N handshape and you’re talking about Richard Nixon, the Republican president in the 1970s.
People used the GUN TO HEAD sign in an letter R handshape whenever the subject of Ronald Reagan came up. Abraham Lincoln was referred to by the HAT/CAP sign twice, using the A handshape and the L handshape. James Carter was a peanut farmer before he attained the highest political office, so hence the C handshape flicking off of the top of the teeth. The first president, George Washington (no relation to me…far as I know), had the honor of the GENERAL sign two times in quick succession, with the G handshape and the W handshape.
Regardless, there will always be signs of questionable funk and people crying afoul over them. Now that we are in the midst of an election cycle, what signs–whether posititve or negative–have been attributed so far to the current crop of presidential candidates?
But one thing is for sure…nobody knows a stink like the nose.
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4 Comments
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Very interesting e-article about such misunderstanding intentions among hearing people about deaf people’s sign names for their country’s national leaders.
Many Russian deaf people referred to Yelstin’s nose as the sign name for Yelstin like the claw hand on the nose symbolized his reddish nose from too much alcohol.
Same thing with Gorbachev by referring to his birthmark on the upper forehead. Deaf Russians used their hands to circle on the upper forehead for Gorby.
I asked deaf Russians what they use the sign name for Vladmir Putin. They said just fingerspell “Putin” since no one have his surname or easy to fingerspell it than Gorby or Yelstin.
Deaf people in general also used “H” on the mustache postion for Saddam Hussein. Ever some deaf people used that same sign for Harvey Goodstein while he was the director of the Deaf Way II (kinda insulting).
Well, the hearing Thai society seems make the issue of so-called inapporiate sign name out of the molehill.
The rest of deaf world are much different from the image-conscious deaf Americans. Deaf people everywhere tend to use the physical feature to identify any particular individual.
Thanks again for this interesting article. I truly appreciate it very much.
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
Very interesting e-article about such misunderstanding intentions among hearing people about deaf people’s sign names for their country’s national leaders.
Many Russian deaf people referred to Yelstin’s nose as the sign name for Yelstin like the claw hand on the nose symbolized his reddish nose from too much alcohol drinkings.
Same thing with Gorbachev by referring to his birthmark on the upper forehead. Deaf Russians used their hands to circle on the upper forehead for Gorby.
I asked deaf Russians what they use the sign name for Vladmir Putin. They said just fingerspell “Putin” since no one have his surname or easy to fingerspell it than Gorby or Yelstin.
Deaf people in general also used “H” on the mustache postion for Saddam Hussein. Ever some deaf people used that same sign for Harvey Goodstein while he was the director of the Deaf Way II (kinda insulting).
Well, the hearing Thai society seems make the issue of so-called inapporiate sign name out of the molehill.
The rest of deaf world are much different from the image-conscious deaf Americans. Deaf people everywhere tend to use the physical feature to identify any particular individual.
Thanks again for this interesting article. I truly appreciate it very much.
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
So what’s the sign name for Bush? :)
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